May 2013 Moms

Hand Gnawing?

Forgive me if this has been discussed previously, I didn't see anything like it in recent discussions.

Twink has recently discovered her hands, which is so cute!  Except for the fact that she seems to get super angry that she can't fit the whole thing in her mouth...  and by that I mean like having all out screaming fits while trying to shove her whole hand in her mouth, sometimes both hands.  She has been rejecting her pacifier during naps in favor of her hands and then wakes herself up because she's frustrated that she can't fit them in her mouth and I'm kinda desperate to get her to take a nap today, but that's a whole other story...

Any other mamas have a baby who's so desperate to self-cannibalize? And how long does the fascination usually last?

BFP 1: m m/c 3/2012 miss you, my baby! BFP 2:9/22/2012 DOB: 5/24/2013 It's a girl!! Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Re: Hand Gnawing?

  • My LO definitely tries to shove the whole fist in his mouth. He gets frustrated but doesn't scream. I can generally get the pacifier in again for a few before he is at it again. He makes loud chewing/smacking noises as he tries to eat his hand. I think its kind of cute. Sorry you are dealing with a screaming baby though.
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  • It's possible... or she could be getting over tired... she's STTN, but is up at 5:30 am and barely naps throughout the day.  She's started the hand gnawing within the last day or so, and it seems like every day that goes by that she doesn't nap she gets more and more cranky and harder to calm down. 
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  • imagemaymomNY:
    My lo sucks on her hands a lot lately. It seems like she's doing it to self soothe.Could that be a possibility, and maybe his frustration is from something else and the hand gnawing just isn't enough?
     

    My J is the same way... sucked on his hands since birth actually and won't take a paci. 

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  • Silas started sucking on his hands 2 week ago and Sawyer just a few days ago. They LOVE it and they self soothe like champs now. Im so sorry your LO is having a hard time figuring out how to comfort herself with her hands. I expect she'll get the hang of it soon though just hang in there!
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  • KLJ3KLJ3 member
    DS is a pretty ferocious hand sucker and gnawer, which I find amusing just to watch. He has started preferring his fists and fingers to his pacifier. He typically doesn't get really frustrated, though...unless he's actually hungry. Then he'll suck like crazy and cry when he determines that his knuckles aren't producing milk.

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  • imageKLJ3:
    DS is a pretty ferocious hand sucker and gnawer, which I find amusing just to watch. He has started preferring his fists and fingers to his pacifier. He typically doesn't get really frustrated, though...unless he's actually hungry. Then he'll suck like crazy and cry when he determines that his knuckles aren't producing milk.

    S is the same way. I think it's pretty common for them to suck and gnaw on their hands at this point. It used to be her hunger cue, but now it's more just a thing to do. She'll start to cry and suck even harder though when she is hungry!

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  • My little man does the same thing! He even does it when trying to drink his bottle. He gets so frustrated but I can usually pull his hand out and give him his wubbanub.
  • imagebeaubecca:
    Can you swaddle? My LO has this happen sometimes too. He doesnt like full swaddling but we swaddle across his chest and trap his elbows so his hands are there for comfort but he can't stuff them in his mouth or flail his arms. This works so far for us.

    Hmm... I'm going to have to try this.  I have a few A&A blankets that were recently given to me and I'll try blanket swaddling her again.  She has been kicking out of my smaller swaddle blankets, but these might work better.

    BFP 1: m m/c 3/2012 miss you, my baby! BFP 2:9/22/2012 DOB: 5/24/2013 It's a girl!! Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • My LO has sucked on her hands since birth - even in u/s photos! She always does it more either if she is hungry, or if she has fed recently, if she is tired. Hand sucking can be an indication of both. Maybe she is overtired by this point and is now going to be more difficult to put down for a nap? Try putting her down even 5 min earlier?
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  • Little Snuffles is also a hand gnawer, and we are discouraging it because of the ridiculous amount of slobber associated with it. She literally pours from the mouth when she's gnawing. She will, however, take a binkie if we catch her gnawing, but you have to hold the bink there for a while until she realizes what it's for. I imagine soon she will remember and she'll just pop it in her mouth. Once you get her to start sucking on the binkey (how are we spelling this?) she seems to prefer it to her hand. 
    She is here! 5-29-13

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